Contribution of exopeptidases to formation of nonprotein nitrogen during ensiling of alfalfa

The experiment was conducted to investigate the exopeptidase classes in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) leaves, and to determine their contribution to the formation of nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) components during ensiling. Six classes of inhibitors that included bestatin (aminopeptidase inhibitor), potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor (PCI, carboxypeptidase inhibitor), 1,10-phenanthroline (dipeptidase inhibitor), diprotin A (dipeptidyl-peptidase inhibitor), butabindide (tripeptidyl-peptidase inhibitor), and dipeptide Phe-Arg (peptidyl-dipeptidase inhibitor) were used. To determine the contribution of each exopeptidase to the formation of NPN products, aqueous extracts of fresh alfalfa were fermented to imitate the proteolytic process of ensiled alfalfa and to ensure that each class of exopeptidase inhibitor would have immediate contact with the proteases in the alfalfa extract. Five classes of exopeptidases; namely, aminopeptidase, carboxypeptidase, dipeptidase, dipeptidyl-peptidase, and tripeptidyl-peptidase, were shown to be present in alfalfa leaves, each playing a different role in alfalfa protein degradation. Aminopeptidase, carboxypeptidase, and dipeptidase were the main exopeptidases contributing to the formation of NH3-N. Among the 5 exopeptidases, tripeptidyl-peptidase appeared to be the principal exopeptidase in hydrolyzing forage protein into peptides, whereas carboxypeptidase and dipeptidase appeared to be more important in contributing to the formation of amino acid-N. Dipeptidyl-peptidase and tripeptidyl-peptidase did not play a role in the formation of NH3-N or amino acid-N. Dipeptidase, carboxypeptidase, and tripeptidyl-peptidase were the principal exopeptidases for hydrolyzing forage protein into NPN during ensilage, and treatment with a mixture of the 5 inhibitors reduced the total NPN concentration in the fermented alfalfa extract to about 45% of that in the control after 21 d of fermentation

Linking residential mobility with daily mobility: A three-wave cross-lagged panel analysis of travel mode choices and preferences pre–post residential relocation in the Netherlands

The causal impact of the built environment on travel behaviours is a subject of debate. This debate especially concerns the independent effect of the built environment on the observed travel patterns after taking into account residential self-selection arising from pre-existing travel-related attitude. This study argues that travel attitude varies over time, and thus, is also reshaped by residential built environment and interrelated with residents? travel behaviours. Focusing on the event of residential relocation in the Netherlands, this study longitudinally investigated the interrelations between travel mode choices and preferences before, immediately after and a year after the relocation. Results from the random-intercept cross-lagged panel models substantiated the residential self-selection based on the pre-relocation preferences for motorised means of transport, including cars and public transport. Moreover, travel mode preferences varied to a greater extent than travel mode use pre?post relocation, and especially, frequent use of public transport or bicycles stimulated by the new place of residence had a one-year lagged effect on developing the mode preference. Therefore, the structural role of residential built environment manifests as (re)shaping travel mode choices as well as mode-specific preferences in the process of residential relocation.Urban Studie

Associations between spatial access to medical facilities and health-seeking behaviors: A mixed geographically weighted regression analysis in Shanghai, China

Enhancing the spatial accessibility to medical facilities is an important public health strategy in many countries. However, it is not clear whether enhancing spatial accessibility is capable of addressing medical care issues due to the complexity of individuals' health-seeking behavior. This study draws from Andersen's behavioral model to identify enabling factors in the associations of spatial accessibility to medical facilities and socio-institutional factors with individuals' health-seeking behavior. Logistic regression and mixed geographically weighted regression techniques are used to analyze large-scale health survey data collected in Shanghai, China. The results show that spatial accessibility to medical facilities plays a significant role in health-seeking behaviors, but the mechanism at play is complicated, involving people's preference for high-grade hospitals and the demand for easy access to public transit. Moreover, there is spatial heterogeneity in the relationship between spatial accessibility to medical facilities and health-seeking behaviors. Especially, people who live in the inner suburb of Shanghai have worse access to these facilities and thus are more likely to perform self-treatment compared with urban residents. Moreover, localized contexts formed by the interweaving of spatial accessibility and socio-institutional factors, such as registered residence status (hukou), complicate the association between spatial accessibility and health-seeking behaviors.Urban Studie

Critical factors for effective resident participation in neighborhood rehabilitation in Wuhan, China: From the perspectives of diverse stakeholders

Resident participation is essential for neighborhood rehabilitation. It requires the active involvement of residents and efficient management by organizers. To improve the effectiveness of resident participation, it is necessary to understand the critical success factors (CSFs) underlying it. However, previous research has examined the critical factors from a single-stakeholder perspective, overlooking potential differences in perceptions among stakeholders with diverse roles and rehabilitation experiences. Based on 30 interviews and 255 questionnaires from six stakeholder groups in Wuhan, China, this study explores how the perception of critical factors for effective resident participation varies among local government, community-based organization, designer, contractor, consulting party, and resident. Thirty-seven factors were identified and compared among the stakeholders. Financial Incentive (for participation organizers) was identified as the most critical factor for effective resident participation, followed by Information Disclosure and Transparency, and Trust. Results from the analysis of variance (ANOVA) show that the six groups differed significantly in the importance of most factors (25/37), especially in Participant Education and Prejudice against the Working Group. Interview results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic and rehabilitation experience changed stakeholders’ perceived importance of some factors. Specifically, in future RP initiatives, extra emphasis could be placed on Trait and Capacity (of the working group) and Participation-assistance Technologies. Stakeholders regarded these two factors as more critical as their rehabilitation experience accumulated. By understanding stakeholders' conflicting and changing perceptions of effective resident participation, suggestions were proposed to each stakeholder group to fulfill their distinct participation objectives and improve the overall effectiveness of participation practices.Design & Construction ManagementReal Estate Managemen

Working from home and subjective wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of pre-COVID-19 commuting distance and mode choices

Working from home (WFH) was prevalent among previous daily commuters during the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to continue in post-COVID-19 society. By using WFH enforced by the UK government during the pandemic as a real-world experiment, our study investigates the relationship between switching from commuting to WFH, and subjective wellbeing (SWB). Particular interest lies in determining the extent to which this relationship depends on homeworkers' commuting behaviours prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. The data we used is from a COVID-19 panel survey on UK workers who were born in 1970. Results from the between-individual analysis and fixed-effect analysis show that the transition to WFH was not indicative of life satisfaction but it was conducive to affective wellbeing in the short term. This positive effect on affective wellbeing became insignificant after specific experiences of WFH were taken into account; that is, positive homeworking experiences were a result of strong social support, healthy daily lifestyles and stable financial circumstances during the pandemic. Crucially, the impact of switching to WFH on SWB was moderated by the pre-pandemic commuting behaviour. Previous long-distance commuters (one-way commuting distance >30 miles) reported better affective wellbeing when they could work from home, while commuters who had frequently walked or cycled to work had worse SWB outcomes after switching to WFH.Urban StudiesUrbanis

Changes in commuting mode and the relationship with psychological stress: A quasi-longitudinal analysis in urbanizing China

Emerging longitudinal research on the relationship between commuting mode and psychological wellbeing draws exclusively from cities in developed countries and the findings are not consistent. Our study contributes to the evidence base from urban China, where rapid urban growth has raised great concerns for urbanites’ commuting problems and psychological stress risks. Drawing upon the China Health and Nutrition Survey (2006–2015), we followed a quasi-longitudinal design to examine changes in commuting mode and the associations with long-term psychological stress. Crucially, the neighbourhood-level urbanicity scale was incorporated to analyse geographic variations in the commuting-stress relationship over time. The results show that maintaining car commuting and long-duration active commuting were associated with lower levels of psychological stress, while long-duration motorised commuting trips by car or public transport were predictive of higher stress levels. Moreover, high-urbanicity areas involved more active commuting trips and short motorised commuting trips, which were beneficial to long-term psychological wellbeing. In contrast, the commuting-related stress risks were noticeable in medium urbanicity areas, where the commuting duration by public transport was extremely high. Based on the socio-institutional context of urban growth in China, we recommend that urban governments should change the focus from expanding urban development land to improving urban amenities and urbanites’ wellbeing.Urban StudiesUrbanis

Neighborhood effects on health: A multilevel analysis of neighborhood environment, physical activity and public health in suburban Shanghai

With great concern over the health-promoting environment worldwide, there is a growing body of research into the neighborhood effects on health beyond the sole focus on individual socioeconomic disadvantages and lifestyle risks. Our study contributes to neighborhood health research by investigating the combined effects of multi-dimensional neighborhood environmental characteristics and recreational physical activity under different geographic contexts on residents' self-rated health. Drawing upon a health survey conducted in suburban Shanghai in 2017, we employ a series of multilevel models to examine how the multi-scale environmental and behavioral factors are related to residents' self-rated physical and mental health, respectively. The results show that the greening rate of the community, rather than accessibility to large-scale urban parks, is a significant indicator of self-rated health for suburban residents. Subjective evaluations on neighborhood safety and air pollution exposure are significantly associated with residents' physical and mental health, while neighborhood attachment matters more for mental health. Outdoor recreational exercises, especially in the environment of neighborhood green space, are conducive to better physical health, while indoor physical activity shows weaker and insignificant health benefits. These findings offer a promising way for public health policymakers and urban planners to implement place-based health interventions and develop health-supportive neighborhoods.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Urban Studie

Optimizing the preheating temperature of hot rolled slab from the perspective of the oxidation kinetic

Decreasing the preheating temperature is an effective step to control the energy consumption in the hot rolling process. In order to obtain the lowest preheating temperature to prepare enough thickness of oxide scale in the hot rolling process, the oxidation resistance of commercial steel samples with different Al and Si contents were investigated in this paper. The results indicate that both Al and Si based oxides form at the steel-oxides interface as diffusion barrier but Al provide stronger diffusion resistance than Si in the diffusion-controlling oxidation region. Meanwhile, a three-dimensional oxidation kinetic model has been adopted to depict the oxidation behavior of four types of commercial steel. The oxidation process of automotive steel sample containing with low alloy elements is kinetically determined by interface chemical reaction. Its activation energy is 55.2 ± 6.9 kJ/mol. As for silicon steel containing with relative high alloy elements, its controlling process is determined by diffusion step at low temperature and controlled by chemical reaction rate at high temperature. In order to obtain enough thickness of oxide scale, the lowest preheating temperature of different types steel range from high to low should be the steel with high content of Al (1180 °C), the steel with high content of Si and low content of Al (1130 °C) and the steel with high contents of Si and Al (1030 °C). (OLD) MSE-3Team Yongxiang Yan

An evaluation of the information literacy of safety professionals

Information literacy has gradually become one of the necessary qualities in current and future safety practices. The calculation and assessment of information literacy of safety professionals is an effective way to understand their information literacy level. This paper, therefore, aims to evaluate the information literacy level of safety management personnel, for improving their ability to comprehend safety language/technology/information. Based on the theory of safety information systems and the characteristics of safety professionals, this study develops an index system to assess the information literacy level of safety professionals. The index system consists of five indexes: safety information demand consciousness, safety information acquisition ability, safety information evaluation ability, safety information utilization ability, and information ethics. According to the analytic hierarchy process method, the weight of the index can be determined. This developed method was implemented to evaluate the safety information literacy level of 40 safety professionals from four different corporations. The quantitative results of the fuzzy evaluation are in good agreement with the qualitative analysis results, indicating that the index system has excellent applicability and can be applied to the evaluation of the information literacy level of safety professionals. Besides, recommendations are put forward to improve the information literacy of safety professionals.Distributed SystemsSafety and Security ScienceTransport and Logistic

A Novel Bilevel False Data Injection Attack Model Based on Pre-and Post-Dispatch

This letter develops a new bilevel optimization model to construct false data injection attack based on pre- and post- dispatch. In order to enhance the attack concealment, the proposed bilevel model can minimize the variation of uploaded measurements between pre- and post-attack before dispatching, after which the attack can lead the system to an uneconomic and insecure operating state after dispatching. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed bilevel model in term of operating cost and network overloads.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Intelligent Electrical Power Grid